Last Book You Read....

[Gnash]

2 hours ago, welshbairn said:

On the subject of crap books I got about 10 pages through one of Richard Osman's "cosy" detective novels before binning it, I suspect it was written by a special needs AI, clunky, unfunny, self satisfied cringe. Glad to see somebody agrees with me..

https://www.gawker.com/culture/the-thursday-murder-club-books-are-criminally-bad-richard-osman

On the plus side I've ordered James Ellroy's new epic, The Enchanters, supposed to be coming out today I think, can't wait..

I'm currently reading the Thursday Murder club.  It's no literary masterpiece, but enjoyable enough.

[oldbitterandgrumpy]

7 hours ago, welshbairn said:

On the subject of crap books I got about 10 pages through one of Richard Osman's "cosy" detective novels before binning it, I suspect it was written by a special needs AI, clunky, unfunny, self satisfied cringe. Glad to see somebody agrees with me..

https://www.gawker.com/culture/the-thursday-murder-club-books-are-criminally-bad-richard-osman

On the plus side I've ordered James Ellroy's new epic, The Enchanters, supposed to be coming out today I think, can't wait..

He’s been on the go for long enough but I’ve never read any James Ellroy stuff. 
You’re bang on the button with the Osman shit. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by oldbitterandgrumpy

[Melanius Mullarkey]

Glad to hear Osman panned. Wouldn’t wipe my arse with his “books”.

 

[welshbairn]

6 minutes ago, oldbitterandgrumpy said:

He’s been on the go for long enough but I’ve never read any James Ellroy stuff. 
You’re bang on the button with the Osman shit. 

I'd recommend the LA Quartet as a starter, the film LA Confidential would give you good idea if it's your kind of thing. I know people who enjoy the Osman books, they're just not for me.

[oldbitterandgrumpy]

5 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I'd recommend the LA Quartet as a starter, the film LA Confidential would give you good idea if it's your kind of thing. I know people who enjoy the Osman books, they're just not for me.

LA Confidential was James Ellroy? That’s enough for me. If LA Confidential is a benchmark I’m going for the James Ellroy thing. Cheers. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

The Outsider. Another Albert Camus. Essentially we should all be happier if we don’t conform to society’s norms.

 

[Internet Citizen]

On 23/09/2023 at 00:35, Melanius Mullarkay said:

Glad to hear Osman panned. Wouldn’t wipe my arse with his “books”.

 

I didn’t mind Osman too much on Pointless but his twitter feed was insufferable, self-satisfied drivel. I fully expect his books to be in the same vein. 

[scottsdad]

Criminal by Karin Slaughter. 

The wife got me this to read. Turgid pish. The twist being that the person you thought was the killer all along...actually is the killer. 

[oldbitterandgrumpy]

On 23/09/2023 at 19:05, Melanius Mullarkay said:

The Outsider. Another Albert Camus. Essentially we should all be happier if we don’t conform to society’s norms.

 

Essentially we would. But only if everyone else conforms to society’s norms. 

[Tight minge]

Read Shantaram, then the Mountain Shadow by Gregory David Roberts

A long slog for both, but all in all decent reads and excellent depictions of India. 

[Richey Edwards]

Currently reading Lanark by Alisdair Gray.

Like A Clockwork Orange, this is a book I gave up on years ago. Enjoying A Clockwork Orange when I gave it another go recently prompted me to give this another go as well.

I am enjoying it this time.

[GHF-23]

Why do dads read popular history books? I saw some fella with a belt-holstered glasses case reading the new Max Hastings today and got me thinking. They don't take any less time to read or are any less impenetrable than most decent scholarly work, and never have anything worthwhile in them (Obvious caveat for CV Wedgewood)

Likewise all the newspaper columnists 300 page think pieces that fill up Waterstones. Who's reading Douglas Murray's or Owen Jones' pish?

Writing this reminded me there was a quite funny NS article on this the other month

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2023/06/rise-waterstones-dad-library-history-bookshops

 

[PWL]

Just finished Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart. Enjoyed it but I did feel it ran out of steam about 3/4s through. Understandable given everyone knows the outcome I guess.  

Nothing revealed about the political world most didn't already know - Truss a thick robot, Boris a charlatan etc - but some good one liners. 

My 'bought but not yet read' pile beside my bed is getting ridiculous but moved onto In Search Of Berlin just published by John Kampfner. 

[coprolite]

On 05/10/2023 at 17:13, GHF-23 said:

Why do dads read popular history books? I saw some fella with a belt-holstered glasses case reading the new Max Hastings today and got me thinking. They don't take any less time to read or are any less impenetrable than most decent scholarly work, and never have anything worthwhile in them (Obvious caveat for CV Wedgewood)

Likewise all the newspaper columnists 300 page think pieces that fill up Waterstones. Who's reading Douglas Murray's or Owen Jones' pish?

Writing this reminded me there was a quite funny NS article on this the other month

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2023/06/rise-waterstones-dad-library-history-bookshops

 

Funnily enough i came on here to post about a history book i'd just read. It's in the "popular" style but not a particularly popular book. 

River Kings by Cat Jarman was an accessible overview of the archaeological and historical evidence of Viking trade, settlement and influence in the East. It wasn't an area i knew a lot about previously. I thought she did a pretty good job of not over-speculating where there was little evidence and presenting both sides of controversies. Would recommend. 

I'd question why anyone would want to read an article like that New Statesman pish, but each to their own. 

[GHF-23]

8 minutes ago, coprolite said:

Funnily enough i came on here to post about a history book i'd just read. It's in the "popular" style but not a particularly popular book. 

River Kings by Cat Jarman was an accessible overview of the archaeological and historical evidence of Viking trade, settlement and influence in the East. It wasn't an area i knew a lot about previously. I thought she did a pretty good job of not over-speculating where there was little evidence and presenting both sides of controversies. Would recommend. 

I'd question why anyone would want to read an article like that New Statesman pish, but each to their own. 

Lol hoisted by my own petard I have also read River Kings. It was alright, although I'm not sure she would really count in what I was describing, as if I remember right she has an actual PhD in bioarchaeology and is actually sharing research, if not in a strictly academic fashion. I'm more talking about your "Dunkirk: 3 Days to Save Blighty", the new best seller by Max Hastings/Anthony Beevor/for some reason Al Murray or Damian Lewis

[stevieKTID]

On 29/09/2023 at 22:39, Richey Edwards said:

Currently reading Lanark by Alisdair Gray.

Like A Clockwork Orange, this is a book I gave up on years ago. Enjoying A Clockwork Orange when I gave it another go recently prompted me to give this another go as well.

I am enjoying it this time.

Amazing book, I'll need to give it another read although I'm not sure my tattered old copy will survive another read through.

I almost got to see him being interviewed live on stage, back in 2007 Chemikal Underground records released an album called Balads of the book - Scottish writers wrote the lyrics and Scottish musicians performed the songs, there's a music and literature festival in Den Haag called Crossing Borders and they were having a Scottish evening a lot of the writers and musicians involved came over to perform including Alisdair Gray, I was chatting with my mate who was working as a sound tech and he told me Alisdair couldn't find his passport so couldn't make it, I had a mental image of him rummaging through piles of of artwork and notes looking for it.

[Richey Edwards]

1 hour ago, stevieKTID said:

Amazing book, I'll need to give it another read although I'm not sure my tattered old copy will survive another read through.

I almost got to see him being interviewed live on stage, back in 2007 Chemikal Underground records released an album called Balads of the book - Scottish writers wrote the lyrics and Scottish musicians performed the songs, there's a music and literature festival in Den Haag called Crossing Borders and they were having a Scottish evening a lot of the writers and musicians involved came over to perform including Alisdair Gray, I was chatting with my mate who was working as a sound tech and he told me Alisdair couldn't find his passport so couldn't make it, I had a mental image of him rummaging through piles of of artwork and notes looking for it.

That's the only book of his that I have read. Poor Things and 1982, Janine are in my big pile of books yet to be read though.

That event sounds cool. Was the album good?

[stevieKTID]

6 minutes ago, Richey Edwards said:

That's the only book of his that I have read. Poor Things and 1982, Janine are in my big pile of books yet to be read though.

That event sounds cool. Was the album good?

I read Poor Things years ago and I believe they adapted into a movie this year, 1982 is also on my pile.

The event was really good, I got to meet some of my favourite Scottish musicians and had a beer with Alan Bissett.

I really like the album pretty sure it's on Spotify, it's a nice mix of modern and traditional tunes definitely worth checking out.

[Tight minge]

On 05/08/2023 at 10:12, Alexanderallen said:

After years of procrastination I have finally published my first book with a couple of others in the pipeline. It’s certainly not going to get any nominations, but would be great for some honest feedback here if anyone is willing to shell out 6.99 or waste a few bourse of their life if they have Kindle Unlimited. 

Of course, at least in Kindle/Amazon give it an okay rating so it doesn’t totally bomb, I have a wife and kids to feed

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CDR3LGBM/ref=mp_s_a_1_23?crid=1M3HEYDY62JBL&keywords=straight+to+hell&qid=1691204231&rnid=1642204031&s=books&sprefix=straight+to+hell%2Caps%2C468&sr=1-23

 

PS: posting this under my pseudonym.

Not quite Shantaram but a decent enough yarn. 
 

[Roger the cabin boy]

Brothers Karamazov, brilliant read. Was with me for a couple of months and it's one of the best books I've ever read. It was the McDuff translation, and I've heard there are better out there, but it was good enough for me. 

 

Before that I read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, another fantastic read that is incredibly unforgiving and gritty in its depiction of the lawless American frontier.